My Life in Travel

Tag Archives: equality

My sexuality is not something I decided on. It’s not a lifestyle I chose. I was born this way. My parents embraced my sexuality. They never questioned my choice of gender I associated myself with or thought that the gender I chose to date was a phase I was going through. They let me be me. In fact no one ever blinked an eye when I held hands in public, kissed the person I loved, dressed like a woman, flaunted female assets or when I had a crush and when I wanted to marry someone.

No one blinked an eye because I am a straight woman. I have the ‘luxury’ of being accepted by society for who I am, the body I am in and the gender I chose to be in love with. Sadly, a huge percentage of the world’s population doesn’t have this luxury. The LGBTQ community fights every day for acceptance, to be understood and viewed as ‘normal’. The fight for equality. They fight for rights. They fight to have their love officially recognized. They suffer persecution. Judgement, radical views, hatred and violence.

I am lucky and fortunate to be raised by two humans who taught me that everyone was equal. No one was better than me. No one was worse than me. That you love with your full heart. You treat people with kindness. You understand differences in others as qualities not negatives. You learn from others, not destroy them.

I cannot fathom the hatred that oozes from people – who speak with venom and act with ignorant rage. I cannot comprehend how people can draw a line at who is worthy of life and who isn’t based on how and who they love….. LOVE. People are being denied their rights, brutally and violently attacked – verbally and physically for love and at its very worst – killed, murdered, their life taken from them for who they love. How is this right? How can anyone make the decision for someone else? How can one person decide for a total stranger that they don’t get to live their life because they lust and love in a way that isn’t what they feel is right? How are we in a world that hates so passionately that they witness murder and are not just satisfied in the death but rejoice in it.
I am not gay. I cannot fully understand how it feels. I cannot begin to pretend I know what it’s like to be judged, questioned, degraded, victimized, hated or murdered for my sexuality. What I can do is pledge to be humane. I will support. I will fly the flag. I will speak out against injustice. I will love. I will stand hand in hand with the LGBTQ community. I will be a voice for change. I will be all that I can be for those that have had their voice silenced.